Content updates
So far, fifteen content updates for The Simpsons: Tapped Out have been released. The first and the second were released in September 2012, the third in October, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh in November, the eighth in December, the ninth and the tenth in January 2013, the eleventh and the twelfth in February 2013, the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth in March 2013 and the sixteenth and seventeenth in April 2013. The first content update On September 21, 2012, the first content update was released for the game. The new level 21 was introduced - bringing a new building and character, as well as bringing several new 'decorations'. Also, the character Kearney was introduced as a Premium character (a character that is bought in-game with donuts). Level 12 also came for new players with a new building - the Springfield Library - which a player could build after the character Bart Simpson is notified that he may have to repeat the fourth grade by Seymour Skinner and that he must study. The library's first visitors are Bart and Martin (a new character unlocked when the library is built), who study for a 'meaningless' test. Finally, the Springfield Observatory was made available as a premium item. The update was 40.3 MB. Characters *Martin Prince *Nelson Muntz *Kearney Zzyzwicz *Otto Mann Buildings *Springfield Library *Muntz House *Springfield Observatory *School Bus The second content update The second content update was released on September 28, 2012. The Duff Racer was the only thing added to the game; it was added to celebrate the Season 24 premiere "Moonshine River" on September 30, 2012. When players opened the game they received a notice reading: "Here's a Duff Racer from the Springfield Grand Prix to celebrate the Season 24 premiere on Sunday!" The third content update The third content update (version 3.0.0.) was available to download on October 3, 2012. This was a huge update, introducing new Halloween characters and buildings. Players are now able to squish zombies after building the Springfield Cemetery, TP and egg friends' houses, and unlock new Halloween quests. Also, new objects have been released: a Pylon, a Gas Pump, a Patio Table, a See-Saw and a Stop Sign - all of which are unlocked on the new level introduced in the update - Level 22. Edna Krabappel's apartment block and Edna are available to unlock in the new level 22, after completing the quest "Staff Needs". The player needs to be on Level 5 to unlock the Halloween features. Once the Mayan calendar has been completed, the Mayan God asks the player a question - if the player answers correctly they get Mayan Homer and 10 donuts, but if they answer incorrectly they don't get 10 donuts. A clue to the answer is in the season 24 episode "Treehouse of Horror XXIII". If you complete the Treehouse of Horror XXIII character collection, which consists of the Mayan God, the Talking Krusty Doll, Kang, Burns Monster and the Raven, you get $1000 and 20XP. The Halloween features were available until early November, between November 5, 2012 and November 8, 2012 - and until that date, Mystery Boxes were Wicked Treat Boxes. Despite the Treehouse of Horror Update Guide in the game listing the date of October 31, 2012 for when the Treehouse of Horror event will last until, the update's content was still in the game between November 5, 2012 and November 8, 2012. As of the fifth content update, characters are no longer able to go on Halloween quests with the exception of Halloween characters, such as Kang, and costumes, such as Witch Marge, though they now earn cash instead of treats. On February 26/27, 2013, a user on the TSTO Players forum posted a list (with links to images) of characters and buildings sent to appear in then-future content updates. The user also found a black-and-white 'unlock' image of Mayan Marge, a character that possibly would have introduced with this content update. Characters *Edna Krabappel *Mayan Homer (costume) *Talking Krusty Doll (no jobs) *Mayan God (no jobs) *Kang *Witch Marge (costume) *The Raven (no jobs) *Burns Monster (no jobs) *Devil Flanders (costume) Buildings *Springfield Subatomic Supercollider *Springfield Cemetery *Pet Cemetery *House of Evil *Bad Dream House *Mausoleum The fourth content update On November 5, 2012, the fourth content update was released, bringing in a new level, two new buildings, and two new characters - one premium, one not. The update was 52.7MB. However, this update did not remove the Halloween features. In fact, it decreased the price of the Ray Gun from 150 donuts to 100. Some users on the EA forums reported that they had gotten the Thanksgiving update, which involves buying balloons, with this update. Characters *Kent Brockman *Bumblebee Man Buildings *Channel 6 *Springfield Post Office The fifth content update On the EA forums on November 6, 2012, user "Teasdale x" posted information about five balloons appearing in the game after the update. The user placed the balloons in their game, but then the game crashed and the ability to purchase the balloons disappeared from his game. User CanadaX21 had also bought the balloons in his/her game; in his/her case he/she bought the balloons (for less than $500), and once the user exited the app and returned to it, the Halloween features had been reset. This fifth content update, released in the UK on November 8, 2012, revealed that the Halloween buildings now give out cash and XP instead of treats/zombies. The sixth content update The sixth content update was an in-app update released on November 13, 2012 which added Fat Tony as a character in the "Wise Guys" collection. Fat Tony's quests were part of an exclusive storyline leading up to the premiere of "Penny-Wiseguys" on November 18, 2012. Characters *Fat Tony The seventh content update Reports of a seventh content update began on November 29, 2012 when a user of the Tapped Out forums reported that a Christmas-themed Tapped Out logo had appeared on the App Store on the Apple devices. Other users then denied the reports, but then another user posted an image featuring the Christmas logo. The seventh content update was released on November 30, 2012, and it wasn't a Christmas-themed update - it was an update with a tie-in to "The Day the Earth Stood Cool". The update is 54.5MB. This update removed the ability to buy the Thanksgiving balloons. Characters *Cool Homer (costume) Buildings *Cool Brown House The eighth content update On December 3, 2012, The Simpsons: Tapped Out's official Facebook page posted a message: "Let it snow! Springfield's in for some holiday magic with a big new update... coming soon!" - which implied that the update would be released sometime in the first week of December. It was announced on Tapped Out's Facebook page on December 4 that the holiday update would be released on December 5 (the same day when Tapped Out would no longer be able to be played on 1st and 2nd generation iPod touches and iPhones), and in that post was also an image of Santa Homer - a new outfit for Homer that was introduced in the update. With the update also comes a new icon for the game, and a new opening menu. The features were going to be available until January 3, 2013; it was announced through Tapped Out's Facebook page on December 19, 2012 that the time the Christmas content would be available had been extended. Until January 2, 2013, it was unknown what date it has been extended to; on that date there was an update, changing the end date of the Christmas content from January 3, 2013 to January 10, 2013. Players can buy a Santa's Sack (costing 5), which includes 10-20 Santa Coins - a new currency in the update. As long as the holiday event lasts, players will be given Santa's Sacks instead of Mystery Boxes in their Daily Bonus. Many users on the Tapped Out forums reported that they had seen Kodos shooting at the ray gun in her spaceship while she flies across a friend's Springfield. Many thought it was a bug, but it is likely a clue to what could happen next - Kodos being introduced as a character. Also, many users on the Tapped Out forums reported (one even showing an image) that Gil Gunderson would appear and give the player a 25% off offer on donuts. This was true, but EA had removed Gil from the game, presumably because of the problems surrounding Tapped Out players being locked out of their games. On December 19, 2012, users reported that Gil had appeared in their Springfield after an update. This update also changed Barney's "Sober Up" task from an 8 hour task to a 4 hour task. There was also an update on December 23, 2012, adding another of Gil's offers to the game. In the App Store description of the game, a "Kiddie Ride" is said to be one of the decorations added with the update. However, the only sighting of a kiddie ride in the game is a one outside the in-game Try-N-Save building. Reports started on the Tapped Out forums on December 29, 2012 that players could get "Mystery Stockings" for 50 santa coins, and that they would have either donuts or a Reindeer in. There have been several more reports since then, and in late January 2, 2013 or early January 3, 2013 (depending on the time zone), the end of the update was officially extended to January 10, 2013, and the Mystery Stockings were introduced officially. Holiday Spot was used to advertise the update. Characters *Julius Hibbert *Nick Riviera *Blue Funzo (no jobs) *Purple Funzo (no jobs) *Pink Funzo (no jobs) *Santa's Little Helper (no jobs) *Sideshow Mel *Santa Homer (costume) Buildings *Hibbert Family Practice *Springfield General Hospital *Mapple Store *Barney's Bowlarama *Try-N-Save *Krustylu Studios *Santa's Village The ninth content update The ninth content update was released on January 11, 2013 after the Christmas features (apart from the snow) were removed in-game. When Tapped Out was released on Android, this update came with it (apart from the US release). Characters *Waylon Smithers *Mr. Plow (costume) Buildings *Burns Manor *Pimento Grove The tenth content update ' The tenth content update' was released on January 30, 2013. This is a Valentine's-themed update, the fourth themed content update so far. The update removed the snow, and the snowmen introduced in the previous update had melted. Also, the normal icon had been restored and the game got a new Valentine's-themed opening menu. Players can buy a Mystery Love Box for 5 donuts, which contain either hearts or themed decorations. Hearts are new currency in the update, and you can buy three buildings with them and 8 decorations. Two expensive buildings came with the update, the "Escalator To Nowhere" and the "Popsicle Stick Skyscraper", each costing in great excess of the prices of the other buildings. The update installed the ability to win money at the Kwik-E-Mart by purchasing a Scratch-R. You can get a Scratch-R every 6 hours. It also installed the ability to send Valentine's cards to friends' towns. For players that had reached the end of Level 25, a special notice appeared saying that players could get bonus levels and when they get the XP to complete them, they can get up to three donuts by selecting one of the 'presents'. Get one or two donuts and the player gets the chance to get three by paying $50000. A few players posted on the Tapped Out forums that they got Level 26 with the update and the content that came with the update. The update also installed the ability to buy $50000 and $100000 with 325 donuts and 600 donuts respectively in "The Store". Reports began after the update was first released of a bug nicknamed the "Harp of Death". This bug has been encountered by many Tapped Out players. The bug freezes up the game and crashes it, before continuously playing a 'harp sound' through the loading menu when the game is opened again. There have been multiple reports of this on the official Tapped Out forums and the EA Help forums, with EA responding to the complaints at the beginning of February saying that there should be a patch released soon, and on February 22, 2013 with a tweet from @AskEASupport: "Attention Springfield citizens! The #TSTO team are aware/investigating a resolution for ‘harpofdeath’ issue. Thanks for your patience." @OriginInsider also responded to the complaints, saying on February 21, 2013, "This is being investigated and the Simpsons Tapped Out team is working as quickly as possible to resolve it." Also, EA has sent replies to troubled players' emails on how to fix the bug, despite many finding a way to fix the bug on their own: leaving Tapped Out open for around 15-20 minutes without auto-lock on. Reports of the bug have continued after the release of the Level 26 update, with many saying that the completion of a quest or a building has prompted the game to crash and the bug to start. The event ended on February 28, two weeks after Valentine's Day. Characters *Shauna Buildings *Escalator To Nowhere *Popsicle Stick Skyscraper *Phineas Q. Butterfat's *Howard's Flowers *Sir Putt-A-Lot's The eleventh content update Some Tapped Out players posted on the game forums that they had received two content updates (technically). The content of the eleventh content update had been downloaded with the content of the tenth. A user posted on the forums on February 2, 2012 that the price of the "Escalator To Nowhere" had been changed to $500000 with the update; a user posted on that same thread on February 4, 2013 that at least Milhouse's "Eat at Phineas Q. Butterfat's" task had been cut from 8 hours long to 30 minutes long, also with the update. None of these things actually happened on the update's official release. The update was released officially on February 14, 2013. On that date, players on the Tapped Out forums reportedthat "The Science Fund" had appeared in the Store, costing $14.99 or £10.49. "The Science Fund" later became one of Gil's offers. Characters *Ralph Wiggum Buildings *Wiggum House *El Chemistri The twelfth content update The twelfth content update was released on February 28, 2013, and is an episode tie-in with "Gorgeous Grampa". The App Store description of the update (version 4.1.3) describes the content added in the last update instead of what is in this update. The update removed the ability to purchase the Valentine's Day update buildings and decorations. The update also added the ability to purchase a "Golden Scratch-R", which had appeared on the iTunes Tapped Out listing a while back in the list of purchases. A Golden Scratch-R costs 99¢/69p/0,89€ and the jackpot is 100 donuts. If you buy a Scratch-R, it will tell you how many donuts you could have won with what you won in cash. For example, if you got three mallets (winning $750), a little notice would appear below what you had won telling you "You could have won 15 donuts with a Golden Scratch-R". Scratching off three mallets actually wins the player 12 donuts in the Golden Scratch-R, not 15 donuts. Gorgeous Grampa was the first outfit available on Android. Characters *Gorgeous Grampa (costume) The thirteenth content update The thirteenth content update was released on March 7, 2013 and was a St. Patrick's Day update. The update comes with two new characters, one building and two decorations, one a premium decoration, one only obtainable after completing the event storyline. With the update came a new task for Lisa to "Meditate" for 30 minutes at the Springfield Buddhist Temple. Characters *Tom O'Flanagan *Leprechaun (no jobs) Buildings *O'Flanagan's Pub *50ft Magnifying Glass The fourteenth content update The fourteenth content update was released on March 14, 2013 and was a tie-in with "Dark Knight Court". This update removed Lisa's greyed-out 30 minute "Meditate" task at the Springfield Buddhist Temple. Characters *Fruit-Bat-Man (costume) The fifteenth content update The fifteenth content update was released on March 21, 2013. In the thirteenth content update, a task for Lisa to "Meditate" for 30 minutes at the Springfield Buddhist Temple appeared, locked, in Lisa's task list. The task was removed with the next update, before being released officially with this update. The content of the update was known a few weeks before its release; on March 7, 2013, both the TSTO Player forum and the official EA Tapped Out forum posted a list of new characters and buildings set to be introduced with a Level 27 content update. The update also changed the length of Tom O'Flanagan's, introduced in the St. Patrick's Day update, "Visit the Track" task from 3 hours to 24 hours. Characters *Lenny Leonard *Carl Carlson Buildings *Springfield Buddhist Temple *Adult Education Annex The sixteenth content update The sixteenth content update was released on April 8, 2013 and is an episode tie-in with "What Animated Women Want". On April 8, 2013, a user reported that Swanky Fish and Springfield Falls had disappeared from their game, along with the player's 90 donuts. Many users also reported this, as well as other cases where only one of the two had disappeared. The user that originally reported the glitch later provided a solution, which was to re-install the game twice. Buildings *Swanky Fish The seventeenth content update ' The seventeenth content update' was released on April 10, 2013 and is the long awaited Whacking Day update. It will not end on May 2, 2013 as originally thought, but a week later on May 9, 2013. This is the first update to offer prizes, and the second requiring the player to tap on a non-playable character to kill them - the first was zombies during the Halloween Update in 2012. The update comes with a new splash screen and a new app icon. The update now allows players to watch every cutscene from the game in a special "Cutscene" section of the build menu; the cutscenes are "Kaboom", "Home Alone", "Treehouse" and "True Love". The update also introduces the ability to hide characters in the 'Move' menu. The update for Google Play came with Origin, enabling Android players to add friends and visit their towns. This update also added a new maximum building and decoration count to the game. If the player has too many buildings and decorations a notice will appear: "Too Many Buildings", then the description "Building overload! You currently have of buildings and decorations buildings and decorations in your Springfield. To ensure stability, the game now has a maximum building and decoration count of 3000. You need to store or sell some things if you want to build more." Note that this limit was removed on 16 April 2013 after lots of players complained. The update introduced the ability to store characters in the player's inventory, as well as a long wished for confirmation button to prevent the accidental use of donuts. Characters *Lugash *Miss Springfield *Drederick Tatum *Gymnastic Lisa (costume) *Ninja Homer (costume) *Bare-Chested Willie (costume) Buildings *Lugash's Gym *Duff Stadium *Sleep-Eazy Motel *Springfield Coliseum *Fort Sensible Category:The Simpsons: Tapped Out